ALBION – A company headquartered in Geneseo is looking to fill 200 positions in Albion at 231 East Ave., the building that is also used by CRFS.

Coast Professional Inc. is hiring for up to 200 customer service jobs for call center representatives and managers. They will field inbound and outbound calls. Coast officials said the pay will be at competitive “Service Contract Act wages.”

The start date for some of the positions is as soon as May 14. Most careers at Coast include a health and wellness compensation package with medical, dental and vision benefits, life insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, referral bonuses, and Paid Time Off (PTO), including vacation, sick, and federal holidays, the company stated in a news release

“We are excited to bring more job opportunities to Albion and the surrounding areas and to become an integral part of this community,” said Michele Malczewski, the company’s chief human resources officer. “This achievement represents Coast’s resiliency, dedication to our overall company mission, and further solidifies our future growth trajectory.”

Successful applicants must be able to demonstrate U.S. citizenship and pass a federal security clearance background check. Bilingual, Spanish-speaking candidates are encouraged to apply.

Coast’s 45,000-square-foot Albion office is designed to accommodate for future expansion. This is the company’s fifth location nationwide with other offices in Geneseo and West Monroe, La.

Those interested in a full-time customer service position with Coast can click here for more information.

About Coast Professional, Inc.

Coast Professional, Inc. is an accounts receivable management and call center company, dedicated to the respectful and ethical communication with consumers. Coast provides professional services to hundreds of campus-based colleges, universities, and government clients.

Coast is a seven-time honoree on the Inc. 5000 list for America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies provided by Inc. Magazine and in 2020, was recognized for the fifth time as one of the “Best Places to Work In Collections” by insideARM.com and Best Companies Group.

Since 1976, Coast has worked closely with clients to increase recoveries by assisting consumers in resolving their financial obligations. Coast’s success is exemplified by exceptional recoveries, superior service, and dedication to the highest levels of compliance.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Medina quarterback Xander Payne and his Mustang teammates will host Eden/North Collins in the semifinals of the Section VI Class C playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday at Vets Park.

Looking to keep the momentum from an undefeated (4-0) C North Division title run, No. 2 seed Medina will host No. 3 Eden/North Collins in the semifinal round of the Section VI Class C football playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday at Vets Park.

The other semifinal will have No. 4 Southwestern taking on C South Division foe Clymer/Sherman/Panama (CSP) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Clymer.

The two winners will meet in the championship game the following weekend.

Offensively, both Medina and Eden/North Collins have have found the end zone primarily via the air lanes.

Medina quarterback Xander Payne has thrown for 833 yards and 13 touchdowns including five to Tyler Chinn, three to Brian Fry, two to Joe Cecchini and one each to Iverson Poole, Jarin Rhim and Corey Saj. Fry also leads the Mustangs in rushing with 488 yards and four TDs.

Eden/North Collins signal caller CJ Sroda has likewise passed for 820 yards and 11 touchdowns including four to Hunter Stetz, three to Quinn Harrington and two each to Austin Sroda and Trevor Masocco. CJ Sroda also leads the Raiders in rushing with 241 yards and 2 touchdowns and Austin Sroda had picked up 178 yards and one TD.

The Mustangs defensive unit has also proven to be solid having allowed only seven points in four games.

Eden/North Collins won the C Central Division title with a 4-1 record.

The other semi is a matchup of two teams which shared the C South Division title at 4-0 as they  did not meet because of a Covid-19 related pause. CSP earned the top seed for the sectionals by a slender margin of a one point edge in power points over Southwestern 80-79.

It is also a matchup of perennial Southern Tier powers as CSP captured the state Class D championship during both the 2018 and 2019 seasons while Southwestern reached the state Class C semifinals in 2019.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Elderberry Jam performed for a packed Cobblestone church on April 15, 2019. The church was built in 1834 and had 167 concert attendees for the event, the most in recent memory at the church on Route 104. The museum hasn’t been able to welcome larger groups during the Covid-19 pandemic.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has agreed to give $3,000 from its contingency account to the Cobblestone Museum.

The Legislature has been approving that amount from contingency in recent years, normally in December at the year-end county meeting but didn’t do it at the end of 2020. The Legislature last week approved the $3,000.

The Cobblestone Museum has seen attendance significantly dwindle during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the museum has continued to work on programs and be a resource to the community.

The museum last year also acquired a property, the Vagg House, at the southwest corner of routes 104 and 98 and that house is decorated to showcase life in the 1920s, in a manner that includes early household appliances from the early days of homes having electricity.

The Cobblestone Museum isn’t a regular line item in the county budget and has been given $3,000 in recent years from the contingency. Legislator Don Allport, R-Gaines, opposed the $3,000 from contingency because he said legislators discussed the funding last year, and decided against the continued allotments from the contingency account. Allport said the group last year didn’t want to keep this as standard practice for the museum.

The museum, however, hasn’t been included in the budget as a line item. The agencies and organizations included in the county budget as line items for 2021 include: $240,000 to Cornell Cooperative Extension, $190,000 to Orleans Economic Development Agency, $92,500 to Soil & Water Conservation District, $10,000 to be shared among four public libraries, $5,000 to Mercy Flight, $4,000 to Sportsmen Federation, and $3,000 to GO Art!

In Genesee County, the County Legislature funds the Holland Land Office Museum in Batavia at $33,554 a year. That site is only one building and is a National Historic Landmark.

Three of the cobblestone buildings – the church from 1834, the Ward House and a former one-room schoolhouse from the 1840s – were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993 by the federal Department of the Interior. That designation, however, doesn’t come with federal funding. The museum also includes several other buildings on 104 and Route 98.

ALBION – The Emergency Management Office in Orleans County will soon have a mobile command center, courtesy of Erie County.

That county is getting a new command center thanks to federal funding. Erie offered its 2006 command center to Orleans. The unit, which cost $250,000 in 2006, only has 11,000 miles, said Dale Banker, EMO director in Orleans County.

The 2006 Chevrolet Mobile Command Vehicle resembles an RV with a bathroom. The county currently has a trailer it can take to major incidents as a command center. The county will change the decals so the vehicle says Orleans County instead of Erie.

Erie County was able to purchase the mobile command center in 2006 through a Homeland Security Grant as part of regional objectives. The Orleans County EMO will continue with that mission as part of the original purpose of the grant, the Orleans County Legislature state din a resolution last week when it accepted the mobile command vehicle from Erie County.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday signed an extension of the Covid-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2020 and the Covid-19 Emergency Protect Our Small Businesses Act.

The legislation extends protections prohibiting residential and commercial evictions, foreclosure proceedings, credit discrimination and negative credit reporting related to the Covid-19 pandemic until August 31, 2021.

The legislation adds to New York State’s efforts to protect tenants and homeowners from the economic hardship incurred as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic at a critical time in the pandemic’s trajectory as the State begins to lift restrictions on public gatherings and businesses.

“As we approach the light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel, it is critical that we continue to protect both New York’s tenants and business owners who have suffered tremendous hardship throughout this entire pandemic,” Cuomo said. “Extending this legislation will help to ensure that vulnerable New Yorkers and business owners who are facing eviction through no fault of their own are able to keep their homes and businesses as we continue on the road to recovery and begin to build back our economy better than it was before.”

Will Barclay, the Assembly Republican leader, opposed the extension, calling it “short-sighted policy” that will lead to a drastic decline in affordable housing options as landlords face foreclosure or stop renting altogether.

“We are past the initial period of economic hardship that warranted the need for this moratorium,” Barclay said in a  statement last week the State Legislature approved the extension. “At this stage, allowing tenants to simply ignore rent for another four months will do more harm than good to every part of the housing sector. Tenants deserve the benefit of the doubt in cases of emergency, but today’s vote only prolongs the pain for housing providers whose interests and experiences have been completely ignored.”

Press Release, State Senate Republican Leader Robert Ortt

ALBANY – Senate Republican Leader Robert Ortt, along with Senators George Borrello, Peter Oberacker, Jim Tedisco, Sue Serino, and members of the Senate Republican Conference, on Tuesday called on the State Legislature and Cuomo administration to fix multiple issues that continue to plague New York’s broken unemployment system, as well as enact measures to provide relief to New Yorkers who continue to struggle as a result of the pandemic.

More than a year after millions of New Yorkers were put out of work due to the pandemic and Covid-related restrictions, there continues to be a multitude of technical issues with the state unemployment system. In addition, several proposals to provide additional relief for struggling New Yorkers who often couldn’t access their benefits for months at a time have been stymied or ignored.

“At the height of the pandemic, thousands of our fellow New Yorkers tragically lost their lives, and countless more lost their livelihoods,” Ortt said. “In far too many cases, our state government failed those struggling with economic insecurity last year, but nowhere were these failings clearer than in our state’s broken unemployment system. Every single lawmaker on both sides of the aisle has the same story: hundreds if not thousands of callers all begging our offices for some help to collect their life-saving benefits. First, we must examine what went wrong at the Department of Labor so we’re better prepared for the next time. While this is occurring, the state also has an obligation to make long-term investments for our future by providing these neglected New Yorkers with some much-need relief.”

Specifically, Senate Republicans are calling for:

• A complete, forensic audit of the state’s IT systems to identify failures and weaknesses, and to strengthen the digital infrastructure to avoid future catastrophic failures in the future; and
• An accurate and honest assessment of potential fraud and efforts to recoup it, particularly as the state’s unemployment insurance fund is facing a $10 billion deficit, leading to dramatic increases in costs to our small businesses.

“Over a year into the pandemic and I still hear from constituents who are shut out by an ineffective, failing unemployment system,” Oberacker said. “Additionally, many who never applied for assistance are now the victims of fraud. Individuals and families hanging on by a thread are not receiving crucial help, and crooks are taking advantage of a shoddy, vulnerable network.”

In addition, Senate Republicans are calling for action on measures to provide immediate, financial relief to struggling New Yorkers, including:

• A state tax break of up to $10,200 on unemployment benefits collected during the pandemic last year, which would be in line with recently enacted federal exemption; and
• A one-time forgiveness for unemployment overpayments, which the state Department of Labor is currently trying to claw back from struggling New Yorkers.

“We cannot effectively reform this broken system unless we first have full transparency surrounding its operations and problems, particularly the magnitude of fraud losses,” Borrello said. “The Department of Labor’s persistent refusal to answer questions about how much money was stolen from taxpayers is troubling and yet another instance of this administration’s lack of openness on critical data that should be public record. California and many other states have forthrightly reported on their losses due to fraudulent claims and New York State should do the same. Their secrecy is an affront to our small businesses who are being hit with exorbitant rate increases to replenish the system and to all New Yorkers who deserve accountability on this issue.”

In the last Covid stimulus package, the federal government waived federal tax on up to $10,200 of 2020 unemployment benefits for households earning up to $150,000. Although states were afforded the same option to exclude unemployment benefits from taxable income, New York has so far declined, and is one of only 11 states to not take advantage of this significant tax break as the May 17 filing date fast approaches.

To add to the uncertainty of many New Yorkers who collected unemployment, recent reports and constituent calls from around the state signify the state Department of Labor is in the process of clawing back thousands of dollars in “overpayments.” One email provided by a constituent suggested the Department of Labor’s “internal review process identified a group of roughly 166,000 New Yorkers who received one or two duplicate payments, which total approximately $145 million.”

New York’s broken unemployment system has also negatively affected the small business community throughout the state, as the current $10 billion hole in the unemployment insurance fund has already sent premiums skyrocketing, furthering the closure and/or relocation of even more jobs and job creators.

The substantial increase in unemployment insurance rate hikes for New York businesses comes after the State Legislature and Governor passed into law a measure that was supposed to keep Covid-related closures from affecting a business owner’s experience rating. Unfortunately, the bill did not prevent the state from raising rates to replenish the fund.

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

TOWN OF ALABAMA – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) is announcing that traffic lights have been installed and activated at the Route 77 and Ledge Road intersection in the Town of Alabama.

The state Department of Transportation (DOT) had previously planned on construction of a roundabout at this intersection, but canceled those plans after the town passed a resolution opposing the project for reasons related to cost and safety.

The DOT had previously planned to build a roundabout for $1.8 million, but the installation of the traffic lights proved to be a more prudent and sensible solution, costing only approximately $100,000. Hawley joined locals in opposing this project in favor of installing traffic lights to address safety concerns. The lights were turned on this last Thursday.

“I am glad to see this project come to fruition and hope it will ensure safe travel for the agricultural, emergency and commercial traffic that make use of the intersection every day,” Hawley said. “With that said, I still caution all residents to take the dangers surrounding this intersection seriously and heed all traffic signals and devices.”

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday announced the Citizen Public Health Training Course for New Yorkers to learn about preparedness for and prevention of public health emergencies from top public health experts will open today.

This free, online course, delivered by the New York State Department of Health in partnership with Cornell University and supported by the State University of New York, will prepare and equip New Yorkers to become NYS Citizen Public Health Leaders and build an informed network of community health leaders across the state.

Program participants will learn about Covid-19, public health emergency preparedness and response, and other public health issues, while gaining insight into information and resources that will benefit their communities. Those interested in enrolling or getting more information about becoming a NYS Citizen Public Health Leader can visit the program website by clicking here.

“We are determined to build back better, and part of that is making sure we are better prepared for the next pandemic,” Governor Cuomo said. “This innovative free program was developed by trusted experts and it will empower everyday New Yorkers with critical knowledge to better protect themselves, their families and their neighbors from public health emergencies.”

This training, developed by Cornell University’s Master of Public Health Program and delivered through eCornell, is a four-part online training program to equip New Yorkers with expertise and tools to help build and support community-led initiatives surrounding prevention, detection and response in the event of public health emergencies.

Upon completion of the training, participants will be designated a “NYS Citizen Public Health Leader” and will be informed about how they can volunteer in support of their local public health operations – especially during emergencies – as well as how to find, use and share verified information about public health matters from reliable sources. The course will be available through 2023.

This program was first announced as part of the Governor’s 2021 State of the State proposal. Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, New Yorkers were asked to do their part to fight a virus in ways they had never done before.

Everyone was given a crash course in virology, learning to properly wash their hands, sanitize their homes and businesses, and safely care for their family and neighbors. Thousands of New Yorkers signed up and were trained to be contract tracers, helping to track and mitigate the spread of the virus. When other states needed help, these New Yorkers heeded the call and brought their new public health skills to the rest of the country. This new training will help New Yorkers gain the tools to protect themselves, their families and others against future health emergencies.

7 candidates seek 4 spots on Board of Education

HOLLEY – School officials went over a proposed $26,150,000 budget this evening during a public meeting at the elementary school cafeteria.

The spending plan is up by 1.44 percent or $370,000 from $25,780,000, the amount the past two school years.

The budget would increase taxes by 1.95 percent to $7,572,763, which is under the tax cap, Sharon Zacher, Holley’s assistant superintendent for business, said during the district’s annual meeting.

Holley district residents will vote on the budget, candidates for the board, and two other propositions from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 18 at middle/high school foyer.

Zacher said there are some uncertainties in the future for the district, including guidance on how to spend about $3 million in federal aid. Those parameters are expected to be released in mid-May and districts need to submit a plan by July 1, detailing how they will spend the funds over the next three school years.

There also is uncertainty with how the school year will start in the fall – how many days per week will students be in school, will they be required to wear masks, will there be barriers between students to help stop the spread of Covid. Zacher said Holley will need to work hard to help students who have falling behind during the pandemic.

Zacher said many districts are concerned about a fiscal cliff when the extra funding ends after 2024, and districts will be need to be careful with their long-range planning.

“Be careful how you spend it because it will go away,” she said about the extra federal aid.

The budget for 2021-22 includes a $100,000 capital project that would be 91 percent funded by state aid. The project at the middle-high school would replace several interior and exterior doors, add card reader access controls to main office entrance door, replace auditorium orchestra pit lighting and replace the auditorium projection screen.

The proposed budget continues a stretch where Holley hasn’t increased taxes by more than 2.5 percent in a year in at least 12 years.

Holley Central School recent property tax history

• 2010-11 – $7,153,485, no change
• 2011-12 – $7,248,923, up 1.3%
• 2012-13 – $7,393,901, up 2%
• 2013-14 – $7,541,779, up 2%
• 2014-15 – $6,741,480, down 10.6 %
• 2015-16 – $6,741,480, no change
• 2016-17 – $6,875,941, up 1.99%
• 2017-18 – $6,968,766, up 1.35%
• 2018-19 – $7,108,141, up 2%
• 2019-20 – $7,285,845, up 2.5%
• 2020-21 – $7,427,919, up 1.95%
• 2021-22 – $7,572,763, up 1.95%

Source: Holley Central School

Seven candidates are running for four positions on the Board of Education. They include Brian McKeon, Jennifer L. Verhagen, Nancy M. MacPhee, Tracy Van Ameron, Michelle Hodge, Anne Smith and Salvatore DeLuca Jr.

There are four open positions on the board including the seats of current board members Melissa Ierlan, Mark Porter and Anne Smith. (Smith is the only one seeking re-election.) Those spots are for three-year terms. Holley will also be filling the final year of a vacant seat from the late John Heise.

Other propositions, besides the budget, on the ballot include:

• Proposition No. 2 – Authorize up to $318,000 to purchase two 72-seat passenger school buses and one 22-seat bus.

• Proposition No. 3 – $189,287 for Community Free Library in Holley, which is up from the $183,773 in 2020-21.

Eligible voters must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, a resident of the Holley school district for at least 30 days prior to the vote, and must have a proper ID or signed affidavit.

There are 28 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported in Genesee and Orleans counties today, bringing the total to 8,068 in the two counties since March 2020. That includes 5,125 in Genesee and 2,943 in Orleans, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported this afternoon.

In Orleans County there are 12 new positive cases today and they are in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.

Orleans is reporting 8 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 2 Orleans County residents hospitalized due to Covid.

In Genesee County there are 16 new positive cases of Covid and they are in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.

Genesee is reporting 20 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

In Genesee, 5 of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Firefighters from the Albion Fire Department, right, and Medina Fire Department search the water in a former quarry on the night of April 23. Ryan J. Perkins, 30, of Canal Road drowned trying to rescue a dog.

MURRAY – There were about 50 firefighters working on the night of April 23, trying to locate a 30-year-old Murray man who went into the chilly water of a former quarry in search of a dog.

The man drowned. He was found after a 2 ½-hour search with firefighters in four rescue boats. Other firefighters were along the shoreline.

For many of the firefighters it was the first time they had responded to a fatal call. They went to the scene expecting it to be a rescue, but it changed to a recovery.

Harris Reed, the fire chief for the Murray Joint Fire District, recognized there were many young firefighters on the call and they might be struggling to cope when someone close to their own age did not survive.

“This was the first fatality for many of the new members,” Reed said. “It can be very difficult for new members.”

Orleans County has had a stress debriefing team for firefighters for about 15 years. Mental health professionals are part of the team. Firefighters Tim Fearby of Shelby and Guy Scribner have been co-leaders of the group since it started.

Fire chiefs can request the team if they sense firefighters would benefit in talking through how they’re feeling and also hearing from other firefighters struggling with their emotions. The stress debriefing team might be called after a fatal car accident, fire, drowning or an emergency medical response with a child who doesn’t survive.

Reed said in those incidents where someone dies, firefighters will feel guilt that they may not have done enough, or if they had responded differently the person may have lived.

“My message to them is they didn’t cause the harm,” Reed said. “They did nothing wrong. They did the best they could.”

Reed has been a firefighter for about 25 years. When he started and there has a difficult call with a fatality, firefighters didn’t really talk about it.

“Years ago you came back to fire house and just went home,” he said.

But fire chiefs and the veteran firefighters know better now about the mental health toll of responding to those calls.

“Our people here come first,” Reed said. “Everyone responds to a situation differently. But I wanted to open up (the stress debriefing) to everybody who was at the incident.”

Murray Joint Fire District Chief Harris Reed, left, and Justin Niederhofer, deputy director of the Orleans County Emergency Management Office, set up a command post during on April 23 during a response for a man in the water. He was found after a 2 ½ hour search.

Danielle Figura, director of the Orleans County Mental Health Department, is trained in leading the critical incident stress management. They are usually done within 72 hours of the incident.

The stress debriefing in this case was last Monday on April 26, three days after the drowning. Figura and the team met with 12 firefighters at Fancher-Hulberton-Murray fire station. That included firefighters from Murray, Albion and the western battalion.

It is a peer-driven response where the group will often replay the scenario with “what if.” No one takes any notes and people are encouraged to share.

“It is a safe space where there is no judgement,” Figura said.

‘First responders are human first. They are hearing from others with similar reactions which helps validate how they are feeling.’

Figura said it is very helpful to firefighters to articulate how they are struggling and to know others are feeling a similar way.

“They are hearing from others with similar reactions which helps validate how they are feeling,” she said.

Volunteer firefighters often go from being at work or at home to a scene a few minutes later where a person they know has been killed in an accident.

“First responders are human first,” Figura said. “They need to take care of themselves.”

While mental health still has a stigma, especially among first responders, Figura said she is encouraged the critical incident stress management team is called more frequently. That shows her the team is being successful in helping the first responders process some difficult emotions.

“Twenty years ago this wasn’t very well accepted,” she said. “But we’re seeing this push as first responders hope to grow and recruit more to stay in that role.”

Most of the stress debriefings are about 60 to 90 minutes, and Figura and the team members can direct the first responders to additional help if needed.

Circulation currently at 40 percent of pre-pandemic levels

Photos by Tom Rivers: Hoag Library Director Betty Sue Miller speaks during the library’s annual meeting on Monday evening. Joyce Riley, board president is at far left, and Dawn Squicciarini, a newly elected trustee, is at center.

ALBION – Hoag Library is reopening its three meeting rooms to the public. Those rooms have been popular since the library moved to the new building in 2012. Before the pandemic, the three rooms were often booked throughout the day, with multiple organizations using them.

They have been off limits since mid-March 2020. Hoag two weeks ago let a small quilting group use one of the rooms. They can easily social distance and spread out their sewing machines.

The library held its annual meeting last night with the dividers removed and all three meeting rooms opened into one large space.

Betty Sue Miller, the library director, said people can now reserve a room. They can stop by the library in-person or use the Hoag website to make a reservation.

Although they are reopening, they can only be at up to 50 percent capacity and only one group will be allowed per day in a room, rather than back-to-back meetings the same day.

That will allow the rooms to be cleaned only once when the library closes for the day.

The main room has a capacity for up to 60 people, while the side rooms each hold up to 30 people.

Miller said the circulation use at the library is currently at about 40 percent of the pre-pandemic levels. She expects that to bounce back more as more programming returns to the library.

This summer, Hoag will run the summer reading program. There will be a 20-by-40-foot tent outside the library for six weeks for programs. The Friends of the Library is paying for the cost of the tent.

Hoag will be hosting book discussion and other programs are in the works. Miller also said two electric charging stations, with two units, also will be added to two parking spots at the library, with a NYSERDA grant helping with the costs.

“It puts us out there on the cutting edge,” Miller said.

Joyce Riley, outgoing president of the board of trustees, said library staff were creative in serving the public during the pandemic, offering curb-side delivery and more online programming, including storybook times through Zoom.

The library also will be replacing $23,000 worth of lightbulbs, replacing them with less-energy intensive LEDs.

Hoag also will be adding a book vending machine with books available to children in the Hoag service area ages 6 to 12. That machine and the books are funded by a grant from the Xerox Corp. and secured by former library trustee Elissa Nesbitt. The program will start once the book vending machine arrives and is set up.

It expands a book-giving program currently offered for children from birth to age 5. They are all eligible for a free book on their birthdays and around Christmas.

The library director also provided an update on the restoration of a flag from an African-American unit that fought in the Civil War. The flag has 35 stars. That’s how many stars were on the flag for two years from 1863 to 1865.

A donor provided $10,000 to have the Civil War flag restored. Spicer Art Conservation, LLC in Delmar near Albany has started the delicate process of first removing the flag from being glued to cardboard in a frame.

The flag is from a Colored Troops regiment. The 26th Regiment United States Colored Troops wasn’t for a local unit. Those troops were based out of New York City, although former County Historian Matt Ballard said the group was led by a local white soldier, Charles H. Mattison of Barre.

Hoag held its annual election on Monday. There were two candidates for two seats on the board. Dawn Squicciarini was elected to a three-year term with 30 votes, and Kevin Doherty, the former board president for 11 years, is back on the board with a one-year term as trustee. He received 19 votes.

The board then elected Linda Weller to serve as the president. The other board officers will be decided during the May 13 board meeting.

Weller thanked Joyce Riley for her service as president. Riley also commended the library staff for continuing to serve the community during a difficult year with changing guidelines in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Riley noted 211 new library cards were issued in the past year with about 900 others renewed.

“The staff showed flexibility and resiliency,” Riley said.

Photos courtesy of Renee Campbell, and article courtesy of Margo Bittner

BARKER – To celebrate “I Love My Park Day,” the Somerset Conservation Club teamed up with the Barker Central School Middle School on a birdhouse project. They were installed in Golden Hill State Park.

Tom Mallon’s seventh grade shop students made 10 bluebird houses and two bat houses from lumber donated by Pasco Bins in Lyndonville. The posts were donated by Bob King.

“This was a team effort to do something unique for Golden Hill State Park,” said Somerset Conservation Club member Fred Leuer. “Jody Styers from our club joined forces with Robert and Barb Larsen from the Friends of the 30 Mile Point Lighthouse to get things organized. The day of the event, 50 people showed up to help paint the houses and clean up the park. There were students from elementary school through middle school. Mr. Mallon’s whole family pitched in.”

Once the painted houses are dry, they will be installed throughout the park. Visitors to the park can picnic, walk the nature trails and visit the Lighthouse.

“It is so nice when the community comes together on projects,” said Renee Campbell, Park Manager. “From the Somerset Conservation Club to the Barker School and Mr. Mallon’s students to the Friends of the 30 Mile Point Lighthouse. It was truly a show of the love for our community.”

Bid also accepted to replace bridge in Murray on Transit Road

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Point Breeze boat launch will be rebuilt after Labor Day and will function better during times of high waters on Lake Ontario.

POINT BREEZE – The boat launch at Point Breeze will be rebuilt this fall with a new ramp, two boat launches and floating docks.

The Orleans County Legislature last week accepted the construction bid of $439,850 from CP Ward Inc. of Scottsville, the low bidder on the project. Mark Cerrone Inc. of Niagara Falls also bid on the project at a price of $553,125.

The project is part of $300 million funded through the state through the Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI). Those projects are 95 percent funded through REDI with the local municipality paying 5 percent.

They are designed to be more resilient in times of high Lake Ontario water levels and other extreme weather. Currently, when the lake levels are high, the boat launch is useless for boaters because their vehicles flood out trying to launch a boat.

The boat launch will remain open until the day after Labor Day to lessen the impact on boaters during the busier summer season, said John Papponetti, the county’s Department of Public Works superintendent. The construction should be done in November.

Rendering courtesy of Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative: The rebuilt boat launch will have floating walkways that tie into the concrete ramp.

CP Ward will likely need to set up a coffer dam and pump out water during construction to work on the project. The launch will be regraded and concrete poured for the new ramps and docks.

The project includes floatable walkways which will tie into a concrete ramp. The current concrete ramp will be removed and a new one put in that will be pulled farther back on land. The project also includes milling and paving the driveway and parking lot.

The Legislature last week also accepted a bid for $839,739 to replace the bridge on Transit Road in Murray over the west branch of Sandy Creek.

Union Concrete and Construction Corp. of West Seneca is the low bidder on the project, which is 95 percent funded by the state through the Bridge NY program. The county cost will be $41,986.

The county also expects to soon seek bids on another REDI project – installing about 1,500 feet of rocks along Lakeshore Road in Carlton to protect the road from further erosion. The Lakeshore Road project will cost an estimated $2 million. The county will hire a contractor to re-establish the shoreline, which was eroded from the high water levels in 2017 and 2019.

Big rocks will be brought in for about 1,500 feet of the shoreline by the road, east of Route 98. The project also includes drainage improvements along the road.

Girl Scouts in Troops 82007 and 82261 in Albion paint the sign at Community Action’s Main Street Store.

Scouts show appreciation for use of parking lot to sell cookies

ALBION – Girl Scouts are always looking for community projects, and one fell right in their laps a week ago.

Scouts in Troops 82007 and 82261 were allowed to sell their Girl Scout cookies in Community Action’s Main Street Store parking lot, during which time they noticed the store’s sign and flower bed needed some tender loving care.

With Cassie Eagle and several parents, on April 25 the Scouts undertook the task of painting the sign, weeding the flower bed and planting new flowers. Troop leader is Pauline Kehlenbeck Bachorski.

“The Albion Main Street Thrift Store allowed us to have a Covid-safe, drive-through cookie sale this year,” Eagle said. “Kinzie Rickner, Meadow Smith, Aniela Wilson, Nevya Barnes, Aubrey Gannon and Kaylin Gannon did a wonderful job making the sign and garden beautiful for the company and community alike.”

Eagle said the girls completely took the flower bed apart, cleaned around it, pulled weeds and planted new plants.

Eagle said the Girl Scouts are always looking for ways to help their community and if anyone knows of any projects the girls could do, they can contact her at (585) 203-6873 and she will be happy to set it up.

Girl Scouts and their leaders sold Girl Scout cookies in the parking lot of the Main Street Store in Albion on April 25.